American Culture in the 1950s

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1American Culture in the 1950sUS History Standards:SSUSH21 The student will explain economic growth and its impact on the United States,a. Describe the baby boom and its impact as shown by Levittown and the Interstate Highway Act.b. Describe the impact television has had on American culture; include the presidential debates (Kennedy/Nixon,1960) and news coverage of the Civil Rights Movement.c. Analyze the impact of technology on American life.

2Why do so many people buy homes in the suburbs in the 1950s?Easy to get a loan through the FHA (Federal Housing Administration) and VA (Veterans Administration) for a home in the suburbsTax deductions for interest paid on mortgagesGovernment built highways to make it easy to get into the cityBy 1960, 1 out of every 4 lives in the suburbsBy century’s end, half of all Americans live in the suburbs

3Baby BoomMen and women get married in record numbers after the war endsthis will lead to the Baby boom – more than 50 million babies are born by the end of the 1950sIn its peak year of 1957, the birthrate soared to more than 125 births per1,000 – this creates the largest generation in American history (in comparison the 2009 birth rate was per 1,000)US Birth rate

4LevittownYou have 7 minutes to complete the activity about Levittown with ONE partner.

8Women in the 1950sYou have 10 minutes to complete the activity about Women in the 1950s with ONE partner.

9Consumer Culture in the 1950sThe 1950s witnessed a huge expansion of the middle class with disposable income and a desire for the American dreamAmericans had access to easy credit and new forms of recreation with which to spend their ample leisure time

12Television in the 1950s In the 1940s, tvs were for rich peopleBy 1960, nearly every American home had oneAttendance at movies droppedAdvertisers spent $10 billion per year by the mid 1950sIn addition to sitcoms, people also watched game shows, televangelists, and sports

15The Rise of the TeenagerBy 1950s middle class youths were expect to finish high schoolThe economic prosperity of the time period allowed more kids to enroll in collegeTeenagers had more free time and more independence (cars)Generation gap develops between teens and their parentsOne of the sources of conflict was Rock and Roll – music which blended black rhythm and blues with white bluegrass and country styles to create a new style of musicCleveland DJ Alan Freed called the new style of music Rock and Roll